Springstein (Manitoba, Canada)

Springstein, Manitoba, a town located on the Canadian Pacific railway lines southwest of Winnipeg. Here the "Midwest Properties Co., Ltd." of Minneapolis purchased a tract of land of 2,890 acres. This land was acquired by purchase in 1924 by ten Mennonite families, who had immigrated to Canada from Russia in 1923, for the sum of $240,000, without down payment, but with the obligation of delivering annually half of the harvest to the company as payment on their debt. On 14 October 1923, the families had settled on this farm and helped to thresh out the 1,000 acres of wheat. The school which was opened at Springstein when these families arrived had seven pupils. After 30 years, Springstein was a neat Mennonite village with 18 families. An excellent school of three classes, in which 3 teachers gave instruction as far as grade 11, was probably the most valuable possession of Springstein. The teachers and the students were all children of Mennonite parents and the instruction was very closely bound with the Mennonite faith. Opposite the school stood the Springstein Mennonite Church (General Conference Mennonite), which had seating space for about 300. One mile southwest of Springstein was the Springstein Mennonite Brethren Church. Mennonite farmers had bought up most of the land around Springstein.

It was not easy to develop or even to keep the land at all. It was particularly hard during the Depression. The "Midwest Properties Company" reduced the purchase price to one half of the original sum, and gave the loan free of interest for 15 years. As the times improved, the financial status of the settlement also improved.